Wednesday, May 18, 2011 - Spiritual Botox

Unsure what to think about her first carseat experience.

     I'm looking forward to being back in a classroom today. Children keep life simple with their unaffected and uncensored responses. When they're angry, they steam and when they're thrilled, they bounce. Newborns like Addy (and you knew she would come up again, didn't you?) are the least affected of all. Addy cries her "Stop messing with me!" cry when someone changes her clothes. When she's hungry, she opens her mouth, turns her head toward the warm body holding her and hunts for her mother's milk regardless of who's in the room. If she doesn't find it, she expresses her disappointment and frustration wherever she happens to find herself. Addy also makes wonderful faces as she tests her tiny facial muscles. She can look like she's whistling or sometimes she lifts one side of her mouth and winks.  

     We adults have learned to practice making our emotional faces privately in front of the bathroom mirror. Most of us "grown-ups" have learned to exhibit enough self-control to keep us from being socially ostracized, but many of us have gone too far and have also learned to inject spiritual Botox into our faces to cover our spiritual immaturity or need. God prefers we let go of pretense in favor of sincerely "rooting" for His Presence. He wants us in "spirit and in truth" rather than dressed in self-sufficiency, sophistication or stoicism about our needs. He commanded us to come to Him with childlike trust to stretch our faith muscles. He tells us to keep His creation in our line of sight and to thank Him for the flowers and the birds as we did when we first learned to pray as unaffected children. 

"God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." 

John 4:24

"'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares the LORD. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, 

so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.'" 

Isaiah 55:8-9

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? . . . And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin." Matthew 6:26,28

Father, thank You for Your beautiful world that proves Your great wisdom, power and love for us. Thank You for the honesty of children. May we come to You as children with our needs but also with our simple praise and gratitude. Thank You for the trees, the flowers, the birds, the grass, babies, and spring. Flow through me with ease today.

In the Name of Jesus Who first taught us to call You Abba (Papa)!

Inspired by My Utmost for His Highest and Jesus Calling

Addy's photo from the family album

Daylilies photo from photobucket.com